WHO?: Taxes for '95%'

2. ABC: McCain Would Help 'Wealthiest,' Obama to Cut Taxes for '95%'
ABC reporter David Wright on Tuesday night, forced to summarize the
tax plans of John McCain and Barack Obama in 30 seconds, described
them through a distorted liberal prism. Though McCain wishes to
continue all the income tax rates from the Bush tax cuts, with no hike
or decrease for any income level, Wright asserted: "He'd make
permanent the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans." No, for all
Americans. Obama, Wright proceeded to report, "would raise taxes on
the wealthy, people who make more than $250,000 a year, but cut them
for most households." The text on screen, however, stated an
impossibility: "Cut taxes on most households (95%)." That 95 percent
is impossible since one-third of those who file with the IRS are "non-
payers," people who end up paying no tax or get money back which
exceeds their payments. Obama plans to expand the Earned Income Tax
Credit (EITC) and create other credits. For those for whom the credits
surpass their tax obligation, those are not tax cuts, but spending
hikes or federal giveaways akin to welfare.

3. To McCain, CNN's Chetry Forwards Canard Obama Cuts Taxes for 90%
CNN pressed Senators John McCain and Joe Biden about their campaigns'
respective tax plans on Tuesday's American Morning during back-to-back
interviews. Co-host Kiran Chetry questioned McCain from the left,
citing the supposedly "non-partisan" Tax Policy Center that is
actually run by two liberal organizations, the Brookings Institution
and the Urban Institute, while her colleague John Roberts asked Biden
about the "income redistribution" that is part of the Obama/Biden
campaign's tax proposal. Chetry counted a McCain point by claiming
"most of our independent economists say that Barack Obama is actually
cutting taxes for about 90 percent of Americans," which is not
possible since one-third pay no income tax.

ABC: McCain Would Help 'Wealthiest,'
Obama to Cut Taxes for '95%'

ABC reporter David Wright on Tuesday night, forced to summarize
the tax plans of John McCain and Barack Obama in 30 seconds, described
them through a distorted liberal prism. Though McCain wishes to
continue all the income tax rates from the Bush tax cuts, with no hike
or decrease for any income level, Wright asserted: "He'd make
permanent the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans." No, for all
Americans.

Obama, Wright proceeded to report, "would raise taxes on the
wealthy, people who make more than $250,000 a year, but cut them for
most households." The text on screen, however, stated an
impossibility: "Cut taxes on most households (95%)." That 95 percent
is impossible since one-third of those who file with the IRS are "non-
payers," people who end up paying no tax or get money back which
exceeds their payments. Obama plans to expand the Earned Income Tax
Credit (EITC) and create other credits. For those for whom the credits
surpass their tax obligation, those are not tax cuts, but spending
hikes or federal giveaways akin to welfare.

A June report from the Tax Foundation listed 32.58 percent of IRS
income tax returns for 2005 as "non-paying." See: www.taxfoundation.org

In addition, Obama's plan calls for raising the 33 and 36 percent
tax brackets. In 2008, those with an income as low as $100,150, not
$250,000, paid at the 33 percent rate. See this Tax Foundation report
from January. Tax Foundation report: www.taxfoundation.org

Wright's September 16 story on how the two candidates approach
the economy was the premiere of a new World News series: "What's the
Difference"? Where Wright summarized their tax plans:

"Perhaps the sharpest difference between the two is on the taxes
people pay. McCain believes cutting taxes across the board would
promote economic growth. He'd make permanent the Bush tax cuts for the
wealthiest Americans, cut corporate taxes and double the personal
exception for dependents.
"Obama would raise taxes on the wealthy, people who make more
than $250,000 a year, but cut them for most households. He's give
middle class families a thousand-dollar tax credit and cut tax taxes
completely for seniors on fixed incomes."

This is not the first time ABC has exaggerated how many would
benefit from Obama's tax plan. The September 15 CyberAlert item,
"Gibson Advanced to Palin What Hume Calls an Obama 'Dishonesty,'"
recounted:

Speaking of "dishonesty" in McCain's TV ads, on Fox News Sunday Brit
Hume pointed out Barack "Obama goes around claiming he's going to cut
the taxes of 95 percent of the public, which is literally impossible"
since "40 percent of American taxpayers don't pay any income tax," but
that hasn't stopped ABC (directly) and CBS (implicitly) in recent days
from advancing that Obama claim as fact. Charles Gibson, in his third
interview session with Sarah Palin excerpted on Friday's 20/20 and
Nightline, stated that Obama will extend the "Bush tax cuts on
everything but people who own or earn more than $250,000 a year --
cuts taxes on over 91 percent of the country."

Excerpts from a Tax Foundation summary of the McCain and Obama
tax plans:

McCain:

- Continue the lower rates enacted in the 2001-03 tax cuts.

- Increase the dependent exemption each year until it reaches $7,000
in 2016 (the 2016 level would be twice the level in 2009)

- Phase out the AMT.

- Maintain the 15% rate on capital gains and dividends.

Obama:

- Maintain the current 10, 15, 25, and 28 percent rates from the
2001-03 tax cuts, but allow the top two rates to expire (the 33
percent rate would rise to 36 percent; the 35 percent would rise to
39.6 percent). Eliminate all income taxation of seniors making less
than $50,000 per year.

- Create a new "Making Work Pay" refundable income tax credit of up to
$500 per person or $1,000 per family. It would offset the payroll tax
on the first $8,100 of earnings.

- Create a 10 percent mortgage credit worth up to $800.

- Give full-time workers making minimum wage an Earned Income Tax
Credit benefit up to $555. If the workers are "responsibly supporting
their children on child support," give those workers a benefit of
$1,110.

- Extend AMT patch.

- Raise capital gains and dividends rates to somewhere between 20% and
28%, keeping them equal.

PDF of the Tax Foundation's summary: taxfoundation.org

To McCain, CNN's Chetry Forwards Canard
Obama Cuts Taxes for 90%

CNN pressed Senators John McCain and Joe Biden about their
campaigns' respective tax plans on Tuesday's American Morning during
back-to-back interviews. Co-host Kiran Chetry questioned McCain from
the left, citing the supposedly "non-partisan" Tax Policy Center that
is actually run by two liberal organizations, the Brookings
Institution and the Urban Institute, while her colleague John Roberts
asked Biden about the "income redistribution" that is part of the
Obama/Biden campaign's tax proposal. Chetry counted a McCain point by
claiming "most of our independent economists say that Barack Obama is
actually cutting taxes for about 90 percent of Americans," which is
not possible since one-third pay no income tax.

For more on how the mainstream media loves citing the "non-
partisan" Tax Policy Center, see the July 15, 2008 Worst of the Week
item by MRC's Rich Noyes, "Obama's Liberal Buddies = 'Non-Partisan'
Experts?" at: www.mrc.org

Chetry interviewed McCain first, and asked the Arizona Senator to
explain what he meant by saying that "the fundamentals of the economy
are strong" and about regulation of businesses. She then brought up
the issue of taxes: "I want to ask you about this, though, when it
comes to tax policy -- the non-partisan Tax Policy Center calculated
the middle class would actually save significantly more under Barack
Obama's tax plan than yours. How will your tax cuts, as it breaks down
on income level, benefit the working class and the middle class?"

McCain didn't submit to the premise of the question, and answered
that Obama actually wants to raise taxes and that he "has plans for
increasing government spending dramatically." The CNN co-host then
followed-up by citing that "most of our independent economists say
that Barack Obama is actually cutting taxes for about 90 percent of
Americans. Do you agree with that?"

Obama plans to cut the taxes for about 90 percent of Americans?
That figure sounds remarkably similar to the 95 percent figure Fox
News Channel host Brit Hume shot down on Sunday's Fox News Sunday
program: "Obama goes around claiming he's going to cut the taxes of 95
percent of the public, which is literally impossible" since "40
percent of American taxpayers don't pay any income tax."

For more on Hume shooting down Obama's tax claim, see the
September 15 CyberAlert item, "Gibson Advanced to Palin What Hume
Calls an Obama 'Dishonesty'" at: www.mrc.org

And for more on the same topic, check #2 above.

During his interview of Biden, Roberts, after asking the Delaware
Senator what he would to in response to the current financial trouble,
asked about his campaign's proposed tax hikes on those who make more
than $250,000. Biden first denied that this was the case, but when
Roberts brought up the figure again, and Biden corrected himself.

The CNN co-host then pressed Biden on the timing of such a raise:
"With the economy the way it is right now, is this anytime to be
raising taxes on anyone?" Biden answered, "We are transferring the tax
cut. We're raising the tax on them by letting this tax expire and
flipping that tax and giving it to the people who need it." Roberts
shot back, "Right, and some people would say that's income
redistribution." The Senator replied: "Well, I don't care what you
call it -- the middle class is dying. John talks about the strength of
the American worker. The American worker's been left out in the
cold."

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